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Iowa | I owned and lived in a used 5th wheel camper for a few months while getting a house built, not something my wife and I did for fun (although it does bring back a few good memories). It seems clear that my wife does not want to go camping again, and I'd rather just pitch a tent than deal with a camper. Many others no doubt have a lot more knowledge and experience with campers than I do. Keep in mind my thoughts are those of a novice.
Hooking up and unhooking it from the pickup is not a fast process compared to most other things. The motors for the pop out side need to work properly as do all of the electric jacks. I normally pulled gooseneck trailers. The fifth wheel hitch is relatively cumbersome and makes the pickup bed useless for most other things. I bought a gooseneck adapter that fit on the camper hitch. It was DOT approved, but did not look like something sturdy enough to trust at highway speeds. It was really not worth moving just to drain the poop tank. I had the camper on some higher ground and got about 100' of manure hose to drain the tank into a manure loader bucket. I doubt you will look forward to moving the camper every time the poop tank needs to be drained.
The heater in mine left a lot to be desired. It seemed sensitive to the higher pressures in the 100 pound LP tanks I wanted to use, but worked better with the smaller tanks normally used for gas grills (had to be changed frequently). The heating system and the appliances were not the same standard household items one would find in the local appliance stores. These were specialized RV units, so local appliance stores were of no use to me when it came to fixing those things.
The good news is that I did not spend a lot of money to purchase the RV, and did not need much money when I sold it. I mostly just need someone to take it away.... | |
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what to look for in a used 5th wheel camper
